Aseptic push-pull stopper

ABSTRACT

A stopper of the push-pull type, comprising
         a main threaded-ring body, to be screwed onto the neck of a corresponding container of liquids, from which a tubular projection protrudes which surrounds externally the exit hole of the main body, for guiding and supporting an upper stopper,   the upper stopper, provided with a flow control element for blocking the exit hole, and designed to be extracted reversibly therefrom; the upper stopper and the tubular projection forming a suction dispensing nozzle,   a capsule- or cap-shaped covering element, for covering the upper stopper and coupled, by its edge, in a reversibly removable manner, to the main body; the covering element is constituted by an annular lateral stopper protection portion and by a central portion for protecting the head of the upper stopper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Push-pull stoppers, as exemplified in FIG. 1, where such a stopper isdesignated by the reference letter A, comprise:

-   -   a main threaded-ring body B to be screwed onto the neck of a        corresponding bottle, from which a tubular projection C        protrudes which surrounds externally an exit hole D of such main        body, for guiding and supporting an upper stopper E,    -   the upper stopper E, provided with a flow control element F that        is adapted to enter the exit hole D to block it and is designed        to be extracted reversibly therefrom by producing the        translational motion of the upper stopper E on the tubular        projection C away from the main body B; the upper body E and the        tubular projection C define a suction dispensing nozzle G,    -   a capsule- or cap-shaped covering element H, which is contoured        so as to conceal the upper stopper E and to rest and be coupled,        by means of its edge I, in a reversibly removable manner, to the        main body B.

The capsule-shaped covering element H is constituted by an annularportion L for lateral protection for the upper stopper E and by acentral portion M for protecting the head of the upper stopper, saidannular portion and said central portion being joined by a connectingregion N.

The capsule-shaped covering element H, known in the jargon as a cap, hassuch a height as to skim a head portion P of the upper stopper E in theclosed configuration of the stopper A.

This geometry and shape of the capsule-shaped covering element H allowto optimize the space occupation of the stopper and to minimize theamount of plastics needed to manufacture it.

Currently, in order to sterilize the stopper, it is necessary to subjectits internal parts, i.e., the ones designed to face the interior of thebottle and therefore designed to be wetted by the liquids contained insuch bottle, first to radiating treatment and then to sterilization bywashing in aseptic medium.

In particular, the radiating treatment of the upper stopper E becomesessential due to the fact that its flow control element F for blockingthe hole D, in the closed configuration, is arranged so that a lateralsurface portion F′, by lying within the hole D, is not wetted duringwashing in aseptic medium, and therefore without radiating treatmentbefore assembly would not be sterilized.

This lateral surface portion F′ of the flow control element F of theupper stopper E, if it is covered, during the washing and bottling step,by the surface of the hole of the main body and with which it is incontact, during storage and palletizing is pushed out of the hole D, andthus can be wet by the liquid in the bottle.

This occurs because the weight of the overlying bottles is discharged onthe capsule-shaped covering element H, i.e., onto the cap, which inturn, by being actuated by a vertical weight force, is deformed andpushes on the underlying upper stopper E, producing the exit of theportion F′ of the flow control element from the exit hole D and thusmaking it available for contact with the liquid.

The radiating treatment, which is currently indispensable, entailsexecution times and costs that inevitably affect the overall cost of thestopper and its production rates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to provide a stopper of thepush-pull type that is capable of obviating the drawbacks revealed bythe described conventional stoppers of the push-pull type.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide astopper of equal constructive simplicity, which however can be sanitizedmore cheaply and easily during production.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stopper of thepush-pull type that is equally easy to assemble and fit on acorresponding bottle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stopper of thepush-pull type that can be manufactured with known systems andtechnologies.

This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparenthereinafter, are achieved by a stopper of the push-pull type, comprising

-   -   a main threaded-ring body, to be screwed onto the neck of a        corresponding bottle, from which a tubular projection protrudes        which surrounds externally the exit hole of said main body, for        guiding and supporting an upper stopper;    -   an upper stopper provided with a flow control element that is        adapted to enter said exit hole in order to block it, and is        designed to be extracted reversibly therefrom by performing a        translational motion of said upper stopper on said tubular        protrusion away from said main body;    -   said upper stopper and said tubular projection forming a suction        dispensing nozzle;    -   a capsule- or cap-shaped covering element, which is contoured so        as to conceal said upper stopper, which is contoured so as to        rest and be coupled, by means of its edge, in a reversibly        removable manner, to the main body, said capsule-shaped covering        element being constituted by an annular lateral protection        portion for said upper stopper and by a central portion for        protecting the head of the upper stopper, said annular portion        and said central portion being joined by a connecting region,        said stopper being characterized in that said capsule-shaped        covering element has such a height that when said capsule-shaped        covering element is closed onto the main body and the upper        stopper is closed, said central portion is arranged at a        distance from the head of the upper stopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will becomebetter apparent from the following detailed description of a preferredbut not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limitingexample in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of a stopper of the push-pull typeaccording to the background art;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of a stopper of the push-pull typeaccording to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures, a stopper of the push-pull type accordingto the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10.

The push-pull stopper 10 comprises a main threaded-ring body 11, to bescrewed onto the neck of a corresponding container for liquids such as abottle, from which a tubular projection 12 protrudes which surroundsexternally an exit hole 13 of the main body 11. The tubular projection12 guides and supports an upper stopper 14.

The upper stopper 14 has a flow control element 15 that is adapted toenter the exit hole 13 in order to block it, and is designed to beextracted reversibly therefrom by producing the translational motion ofthe upper stopper 14 on the tubular projection 12 away from the mainbody 11. The upper stopper 14 and the tubular projection 12 define asuction dispensing nozzle 16.

A capsule- or cap-shaped covering element 17 is contoured so as toconceal the upper stopper 14 and to rest and be coupled by means of itsedge 18, in a reversibly movable manner, to the main body 11.

The capsule-shaped covering element 17 is constituted by an annularlateral protection portion 19 for the upper stopper 14 and by a centralportion 20 for protecting a head 21 of the upper stopper 14.

The annular portion 19 and the central portion 20 are joined by aconnecting region 22.

The capsule-shaped covering element 17 has such a height that when thecapsule-shaped covering element 17 is closed onto the main body 11 andwhen the upper stopper 14 also is closed, the central portion 20 isarranged at a distance, and not proximate to or in contact with, as inknown types of stopper, the head 21 of the upper stopper 14.

This distance is designated in FIG. 2 by the reference numeral 23.

The annular portion 19 and the connecting region 22 therefore have sucha thickness as to allow the complete discharge of any load that isdistributed in an axial direction on the capsule-shaped covering element17 onto the edge 18 of said cup, which in turn rests on the main body11.

The connecting region 22 has such a curvature as to facilitate thetransmission toward the annular portion 19 of any load distributed in anaxial direction.

The capsule-shaped covering element 17, i.e., the cap, of the stopper 10according to the invention, by keeping unchanged the performance of theprotective cups that are typical of known stoppers, is capable ofdistributing the weight (caused by palletizing) onto the base surface ofthe body 11, without affecting the dispensing nozzle 16.

This is obtained, as mentioned, by increasing the distance 23 betweenthe internal surface of the central portion 20 of the capsule-shapedcovering element 17 and the head 21 of the dispensing nozzle 16, and bymeans of the total increase in the thicknesses and the variation of theradius of curvature of the connecting region 22.

With these particularities, the stopper 10 allows to ensure thesterility of the surfaces in contact with the liquid by performing forthe various components of the stopper 10 only aseptic washing, and notalso one or more expensive radiating treatments.

For loads that can be compared reasonably to the possible situations ofstorage and transport of the product, in fact, the outer surface of theportion 15 a of the flow control element 15 of the upper stopper 14,which is not washed in aseptic conditions, certainly does not come intocontact with the liquid in the bottle, limiting the possibility ofmicrobiological contamination.

In practice it has been found that the invention thus described achievesthe intended aim and objects.

In particular, the present invention provides a stopper of equalconstructive simplicity, in comparison with known types of stopper,which however can be sanitized more easily and cheaply duringproduction.

Moreover, the present invention provides a stopper of the push-pull typethat is equally easy to assemble and fit on a corresponding bottle, andin general has the same performance, in terms of strength and tightness,as currently known stoppers of the push-pull type.

Not least, the present invention provides a stopper of the push-pulltype that can be manufactured with known systems and technologies.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modificationsand variations, all of which are within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible withthe specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according torequirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2008A000064 fromwhich this application claims priority are incorporated herein byreference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed byreference signs, those reference signs have been included for the solepurpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordinglysuch reference signs do not have any limiting effect on theinterpretation of each element identified by way of example by suchreference signs.

1-3. (canceled)
 4. An aseptic stopper of the push-pull type, comprisinga main threaded-ring body, to be screwed onto the neck of acorresponding container of liquids, from which a tubular projectionprotrudes which surrounds externally the exit hole of said main body,for guiding and supporting an upper stopper; an upper stopper providedwith a flow control element that is adapted to enter said exit hole inorder to block it, and is designed to be extracted reversibly therefromby performing a translational motion of said upper stopper on saidtubular protrusion away from said main body, said upper stopper and saidtubular projection forming a suction dispensing nozzle; a capsule- orcap-shaped covering element, which is contoured so as to cover saidupper stopper and to rest and be coupled, by means of its edge, in areversibly removable manner, to the main body, said capsule-shapedcovering element being constituted by an annular lateral protectionportion for said upper stopper and by a central portion for protectingthe head of the upper stopper, said annular portion and said centralportion being joined by a connecting region, wherein said capsule-shapedcovering element has such a height that when said capsule-shapedcovering element is closed onto the main body and the upper stopper isclosed, said central portion is arranged at a distance from the head ofsaid upper stopper.
 5. The stopper according to claim 4, wherein saidannular portion and said connecting region have such a thickness as toallow complete discharge of any load that is distributed in an axialdirection on the edge of said capsule-shaped covering element, which inturn rests on said main body.
 6. The stopper according to claim 4,wherein said connecting region has such a curvature as to facilitate thetransmission toward said annular portion of any load that is distributedin axial direction.